One Last Try
by GwenithFaerieFae
Summary: The Prophet prints an article announcing Harry and Ginny's reunion as a couple, and Severus has been avoiding Harry. Desperate to explain, Harry makes a last ditch attempt to guilt Severus into listening to him.


**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and all associated characters from the Harry Potter universe are the property of JK Rowling/Scholastic/Bloomsbury/etc. If it was otherwise, there would be a lot less dead people at the end of book 7 and lots of delicious Snarry.

**Warnings:** Depending on your point of view, Harry is somewhat OOC here, and there's definitely some major angst. This is a fic depicting a male/male relationship, if that doesn't float your boat don't read. Specifically, it is Harry Potter/Severus Snape. You have been warned.

**A/N:** My first ever officially posted fic! Feedback would be greatly appreciated. Harry has returned to Hogwarts to complete his 7th year, and is 18. This fic was originally inspired by something on Deviant Art which shows the memory described, and which I have since been unable to find. I'd like to thank WhiteCotton for the suggestions and potion name, which means 'A Rose Cast in the Eye' (Rose Tinted Specs), and my lovely beta shoeboxes4all. I've had feedback from the lovely folks on Severus_Sighs to make this into a multi-chaptered thing, but besides a general detailed outline I just haven't been inspired to make this more than the one-shot it is. Sorry :/ Maybe y'all can convince me though!

**One Last Try**

"Severus."

There was a short pause in which the man shifted in the bed before settling with a soft groan. "Severus Snape! I have some information that is likely to be of interest to you."

Phineas sneered as the man in question sat up, hair in disarray, glowering at the portrait.

"What is it, Phineas, that is so urgent you must deprive me of the precious little sleep I get?"

Phineas' lip curled into a nasty smile as he answered, "A student. There's a student outside in the hall, been there for hours. Not a Slytherin, either. Thought you might like to know."

Severus fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose as he smoothed out his hair and pulled on his dressing gown. Sighing, he asked, "Who is it, Phineas?"

The portrait's smirk grew even crueler. "Why, I'm sure you know him, Severus. It's Harry Potter." Severus Snape let out a vicious, wordless snarl before stalking to the door and throwing it open.

"Potter!" he barked, "Come to humiliate me further? I should have known you would be just like your father, you arrogant…"

Severus' voice trailed off, his anger receding at the sight before him, guilt welling up in its place.

Curled up against the cold stone wall outside his door, Potter lay, obviously asleep. His still young face was streaked with tears that were just beginning to dry, and it sounded as if he was having trouble breathing.

How long had it been since Severus had seen him cry? He wasn't sure he ever had.

Shaking off this disturbing thought, Severus noted how the boy shivered, half wrapped in his invisibility cloak. As he was staring at Harry's—no, Potter's—sleeping form, Severus' eyes were drawn to something in the young man's hand.

Clutched against his chest was a lily. There was nothing left but the stamen and two bruised, torn petals attached to a stem, but Severus' heart still clenched at the sight, gasping quietly in pain and surprise.

Anger flared again briefly in his chest at Potter's manipulation, using one of Severus' most painful memories against him.

But Severus was unable to ignore the memory that floated to the surface: a young man, also in tears, clutching a similar flower to his own chest, shivering outside the Gryffindor common room, determined to sleep the night out there if that was needed for him to be able to apologize to Lily.

Severus couldn't ignore the plea behind Potter's action, the appeal to his conscience.

Steeling himself, he bent down and roughly shook the boy's shoulder before stepping back, setting his face into a blank mask of indifference.

Potter started awake, looking around wildly before his eyes settled on Severus, towering over him in the door way. A gleam of determination appeared in the young man's eye, and Severus looked away, furious at his own weakness.

"For heaven's sake, you imbecile, get inside before someone sees you!" he snapped, causing Harry to scramble off the floor, getting tangled in that infernal cloak of his.

Once inside his sitting room, Severus pointed to the couch, and ordered, "Sit." To his surprise, Potter followed his instruction, curling up in his usual corner, looking rather self-conscious. He had expected something less…passive. Shouting, maybe. That would have been more like his Harry. Severus wished Harry would shout at him, so that he could shout back, take out a month's worth of anger and the pain of betrayal on the person who deserved it the most. But it was hard to maintain his anger, no matter how righteous, when green eyes were gazing pleadingly at him, the young man's slight frame wracked with pitiful shivers.

Severus stood and threw a handful of floo powder into the grate, ordering two mugs of hot chocolate from the house elves. When they arrived with a small pop, he thrust one into Potter's hands and said shortly, "Drink that, and then you will immediately return to your dormitory."

But as he attempted to step away, Potter grabbed hold of his wrist. "Severus," he pleaded, setting his mug down next to Severus' with his other hand, "please."

Severus stiffened at the familiar hand on his arm, but did not respond, staring blankly at a spot high above Potter's head. Sighing, Harry slipped off the couch onto his knees in front of the other man's feet, resting his head against Severus' thigh.

* * *

This was his only chance, Harry knew, to get through to him.

"Please, Severus, just listen. If…if you still don't want me after that, I'll leave. I shan't—" Harry's voice cracked and he cleared his throat, "bother you again. But let me explain."

He waited, holding his breath, for Severus' answer. When none came, Harry's heart sank, but he plowed on anyway.

"I…I hadn't seen any of them for so long, Severus. What with the clean up from the war, and classes, and my always being down here training with you, I just hadn't seen any of them in forever. It was just supposed to be a friendly get-together down at the Three Broomsticks, a couple of drinks between friends…"

Harry's voice trailed off before he took a deep breath and soldiered on, his voice trembling now. "We were having such a great time, and I warned them that I really should be getting back, because I had promised you I wouldn't be out too late. Everyone protested, and Ginny insisted that I stayed for just one last round, on her. I gave in, and she marched up to the bar and got us all another butter beer. I didn't notice anything wrong with it at all. It wasn't until later, when I…well, after _that_ started that Hermione got suspicious and confiscated my drink. She…she put something in my drink, Severus. Gin gave me _Paetus Rosa_."

Harry gave into his tears, which coursed silently down his face as he pleaded. "I'm so sorry Severus, please, please, forgive me! I didn't mean to!" he stuttered. Unable to continue, Harry just clung to Severus' trouser leg desperately, hoping that the man would understand.

Only Severus's years as a spy enabled him to remain impassive through Harry's tale. _So this is what the Weasley chit meant,_ he thought. _"_Get what's mine_", indeed. _He would plan his revenge against the girl in good time. For now, he had a sobbing Potter to deal with.

Part of him wanted to wrap Potter in his arms and kiss those tears away, but the other, more responsible part of him knew he had to take this chance to set the young man free. Better let him go now, before they got too involved and while he was still in control, than wait until Harry realized what an old, withered, shell of a man his partner was, and started straying away from him of his own volition. Resolved, Severus wrapped himself in cold anger, and cast Harry from his heart.

"Some things cannot be forgiven." Severus said in a voice devoid of emotion as he stepped out of the young man's strong grasp. Turning on his heel, Severus said coldly, "Good night, Mr. Potter." And swept into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

~~FINIS~~


End file.
